How can I rewrite this sentence: A boy and his bog sat by a house?

Question

Writeacher · Accepted Answer

bog? Do you mean "dog"? How about ~~ A boy and his dog stood near a house.

Kathryn · Answer

By the house the boy and his dog were standing.

Writeacher · Answer

Kathryn's sentence is awkward because the prepositional phrase (by the house) is adverbial and needs to be as close to the verb as possible, i.e., at the end of the sentence, right after the verb "stood." (If it were adjectival, you'd want it close to the subject -- but it's not adjectival!)